1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer software and computer network applications. More specifically, it relates to client server applications and the exchange of configuration data among components in a computer network.
2. Discussion of Related Art
One type of conventional computer network involves connecting a series of personal computers referred to as clients (e.g., Sun SPARC workstations or IBM PCs), to one or more server computers. The client computers are generally self-sufficient and contain within their own memory much of the information needed to run user applications and perform network operations. That is, they contain information regarding their own configuration with regard to both software and hardware capabilities and requirements. The client computers typically access the network servers for a variety of reasons such as, for example, accessing network software applications, sending and receiving email, retrieving and storing information on a network database. However, information specific to a particular client computer generally resides on the client computer. This information can include, for example, the amount of memory or databus types, hardware specifications, such as what type of databus or additional processors. Since the client computers are relatively self-sufficient and store their own configuration information (and, thus is not available on the server computer), the task of data and application management on a client computer has become increasingly burdensome.
Although it is possible to propagate minor changes or fixes to applications that reside on a server on the network to the client computers, any significant upgrade or fix, or installation of a new application that effects every client requires that each client computer be accessed and updated individually by a network administrator. With the increasing number of computers being connected to networks ranging in the tens of thousands in some enterprises, the burden of installing major revisions or upgrades to application software or to general configuration software has become expensive, inefficient, and time-consuming. In addition, because most client computers are self-sufficient, it is difficult for users who must use different client computers at different locations to maintain personal preferences with regard to the applications and configuration data. That is, even though a user can install personal preferences as defaults on their normally-used client computer, it is possible to replicate these defaults on other client computers without changing defaults on those computers.
Another type of computer network configuration involves the use of dumb terminals or "thin" clients connected typically to a mainframe computer. In this type of network, nearly all processing and data resides on the mainframe computer. The "thin" client performs none of these activities. In this type of configuration all the information regarding the client is under control of the mainframe computer. If the connection between the client and the mainframe is terminated, all processing stops, and the client cannot conduct any activity.
As described above, in the conventional network configuration, the process of installing new software or new applications is a static process. In such a configuration, the configuration information for each PC is defined on each client machine. Thus, the network administrator must staticly define each configuration on each PC. In a conventional computer network configuration, configuration information for each particular sub-system or client is hardcoded in the particular client. Furthermore, with conventional network configurations using self-sufficient clients connected to network servers, application maintenance such as installing new versions or major upgrades to software, where the upgrade requires knowledge or access to a subsystem's configuration, normally requires that the application or the network be "brought down" to do the maintenance.
With conventional computer networks that have multiple clients and a server in which the server contains information that is needed by a client for various reasons, in many cases all the data on the server needed by or relevant to the client is moved from the server to the client. This can typically involve moving large amounts of data, much of which may not be used or is not necessary for the client to operate. Transferring all the data to the client is inefficient and increases network traffic. In addition, the client must have sufficient memory and storage to store all information relating to that particular client from the server. For example, devices such as PDAs and smart cards which do not have large amounts of storage cannot contain in its own memory all information including configuration information that might be relevant to that particular device.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a system which supports distributed management of client configurations by storing such configuration information at a central repository. This would allow a network administrator to manage subsystem configurations from the server, and to propagate all types of changes to applications from a server. It would also be desirable to allow a network user to log onto different clients and still be able to access that user's personal preferences and profiles on any client on the network. Furthermore, it would be desirable to have a method that allows the transfer of data from a server to a client in a efficient and fully operational manner. It would also be desirable to send data to the client that is in a condensed and compact form in the sense that the client does not receive repetitive data.